NIH Funds Natural Products Research Centers

Dietary supplements and other natural products that are widely used in the U.S. will be subject to rigorous testing by five new research centers funded by NIH. Black cohosh, fenugreek, resveratrol, and milk thistle are among many supplements that are collectively used by nearly 1 in 5 adults, surveys show. The new centers will receive a combined total of $35 million over five years to study these and many other supplements. “These centers will seek not only to understand potential mechanisms by which natural products may affect health, but also to address persistent technological challenges for this field by taking full advantage of innovative advances in biological and chemical methodology,” explains Josephine Briggs, director of the National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health. Each center will take a different approach to examining natural products. For example, a center at the University of Illinois, Chicago, will examine supplements, such as black cohosh, commonly used by women, especially during menopause. And high-throughput analysis of natural products will be the focus of a consortium from Texas, California, and British Columbia.